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SpaceX explosion

A SpaceX rocket blew up on the launch pad as it was being fuelled on 1 September. Eyewitnesses at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida reported multiple explosions, dark smoke and shaking buildings. The explosion seems to have started in the rocket’s oxygen tank. The Falcon 9 rocket was due to put an Israeli communications satellite in orbit, which Facebook intended to use to provide internet access in remote areas.

No malaria in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has been declared free of malaria, a “truly remarkable” feat, according to the World Health Organization. No locally transmitted cases have been recorded there in over three years, thanks in part to treatment offered at mobile clinics.

Warming’s impact felt

The warming of the world’s oceans is affecting fish stocks, spreading diseases and cutting crop yields, says a new report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Many processes are involved: the Vibrio bacteria that cause cholera thrive in warmer water, for example.

Climate agreement win

The world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, the US and China, have said they will formally ratify the Paris climate agreement. The pact needs 55 countries, representing 55 per cent of global emissions, to ratify it before it comes into force. The US and Chinese action brings the tally to 26 countries and 39 per cent of emissions.

Not big on exercise

People who weigh less than 2.5 kilograms at birth are less likely to do well in school sports and to exercise regularly as adults, according to a study of 3000 people (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, doi.org/bqbv). It could be that underweight babies end up with lower strength and poorer motor skills.